Spreader tool with grooved nose elements



Sept. 1, 1953 R. L. REDMOND SPREADER TOOL WITH GROOVED NOSE ELEMENTSFiled June 16, 1950 INVENTOR. 0.52??? Z. AAo/n 04 0 i 1 MKW PatentedSept. '1, 1953 SPREADER TOOL wrrn onoovnn NOSE ELEMENTS- Robert L.Redmond, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Automotive Rubber Company,Incorporated, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application June16, 1950, Serial No. 168,523

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a spreader tool and more particularly to atool for installing insulated conduit collets.

In my co-pending application Serial No. 153,- 138, filed March 31, 1950,there is described a rubber coated collet having a particular type offormed projection for retaining it in a hole. This formed projectionconsists of tabs struck from the center of the forming blank andprojecting from the margin of the inside hole.

These projections are curled around and extend, prior to installation,somewhat into the central aperture. After installation these projectionsare moved back over the margin of the retaining hole where they serve tohold the collet in position.

Many times these insulating collets are installed in vehicle bodies orairplane fuselage or wings in places where it is difficult for aninstaller to actually see the panel on which he is working. For thisreason it is desirable to have an installing tool which can be used witha sense of feel, enabling an operator to work blind, that is, tomanipulate the tool in places beyond his vision but within reach of hishands.

Briefly, the tool consists of two levers which are pivoted with one pairof ends spread apart to serve as handles and the other ends, moreadjacent the pivot, being formed to provide an operating nose portion.This nose portion has grooves along each side to receive the projectionsthat are to be formed and also has a restricted portion which permitsthe tool to spread and shape properly the projections into retainingposition.

Drawings accompany the specification, and the various views thereof maybe briefly described Figure 1, a side elevation of the tool shown inoperating position.

Figure 2, a view of the tool shown in spread position.

Figure 3, an illustration of the collet in its relation to the retainingaperture.

Figure 4, a sectional view on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 3 shows a plate P having an aperturein and shown in aligned relation with this aperture is a collet l2 fullydescribed in the co-pending application above identified. The collet hasprojections H which consist of struck out tabs curled back toward themargins of the collet and coated with rubber as shown in Figure 1.Figure 4 illustrates how these curled projections H lie within theaperture In prior to installation.

Ill

The installing tool consists of two levers L having handles 20 on oneside of a pivot pin 22 which associates the levers in pivoting relation.The handles 2|] are spread apart as shown in the drawing to permitmovement toward the axis of the tool. At the other end of the tool isthe operating nose which consists of two ends 24. The ends 24 lie backto back at 26, Figure 4, when in the insertion position. These endstaper slightly from the outer end, enlarging toward a shoulder 28 whichprojects transversely of the tool on either side and the combined widthsof the shoulder being considerably greater than the combined width ofthe nose portion. This taper is in one transverse direction from theouter end.

The tapered sides 30 are grooved as shown best in the section of Figure4 at 32, and both of the ends 24 are restricted at 34, the restrictionending at the shoulder 28'. A spring 40 tends to urge the operatingsides of the tool to the position shown in Figure 1.

In the operation of the tool the nose portion is inserted into thegrommet and turned until the two grooves 32 receive the projections 14.This relative position of the tool and the collet can be determinedquite readily by a brief rotating movement as the nose enters thecentral aperture of the collet. When it is clear that the projectionsare in the grooves, the nose can be fully inserted into the collet andthe shoulder 28 will push the collet against the plate P.

A squeezing pressure on the handles 20 will then cause a spreadingaction, as shown in Figure 2, of the nose ends 24 and the projections 14will be forced into retaining positions as shown in Figure 2. At thistime the restricted portions 34 permit this spread action since theprojections [4 are still positioned to be contacted by the widestportion of the surface 30 while the restricted portions 34 will receivethe margins of the collet itself.

After the spreading action, which leaves the projections M in theirretaining position, the handles 20 may be released and a slight pull onthe outwardly curved portions 44 will remove the tool from the opening.

What I claim is:

A non-cutting deforming tool for softcoated insulating grommets havingcoated retaining ears to be moved over the margins of a. retainingaperture, said tool being of the type having lever arms pivoted togethersuch that movement of one pair of ends toward each other will spread theother ends open, wherein said other ends constitute nose elementssymmetrical tially normal to the bisecting plane containing 1 the axisof the pivot when said fiat back per-"- tions abut, each of said taperedouter side faces of said nose elements being grooved lcn gi:

tudinally with a single groove slightlyv narrower than the width of thenose elexnents and disposed centrally thereof and extending from thedistal end to the narrowed portion, wherein the respec tive bases ofsaid grooves are divergent from the distal end of said nose elementswhen the lat- 5 ter are in closed position.

ROBERT L. REDMOND.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 10Number Name Date 1,157,082 vCampbell Oct. 19, 1915 .1,726,582 OttingerSept. 3, 1929 2,324,468 Brickman July 20, 1943 H i v 5 FQREIGN PATENTSNumber Country Date 360,713 I Great Britain Nov. 12, 1931

